Problems Continue for Lancaster Tornado Survivor

A woman who lost her home in April's tornado in Lancaster says the storage she rented didn't protect her belongings. (Published Friday, Sept. 28, 2012)

Nearly seven months after a EF-2 tornado tore through Lancaster, the rebuilding process continues and for one storm survivor that process has taken some extra twists and turns.

Kimberli Calloway's home on Strain Court should be complete by Halloween and that can't come soon enough.

"I want to come home so bad, I really do. I'm tired of being elsewhere," she said.

Calloway like most survivors rode out the EF-2 tornado in a closet with her family. They emerged to find their home literally on top of them, but immediately began salvaging what they could including some furniture they planned to keep.

A storage shed Calloway rented from PODS sits on the property, and last month she opened it to take a look inside and found the few things her family had left had been damaged.

"I just stopped and looked because the water was still trickling when I came in and I looked and I was like 'Lord not another, not another issue,'" said Calloway.

The storage shed leaked during storms in August and left her mattresses and couches with water damage.

There are still visible signs of the leak and an area near the top of the shed where it appears it had been repaired in the past.

Calloway's $300-a-month investment to keep her property safe had failed, so she filed a claim immediately and began calling PODS.

"I can't get a phone call, I've paid them over $2,000 and I can't get a phone call," said Calloway.

NBC 5 contacted PODS and on Friday the company issued the following statement regarding Calloway's situation:

"At PODS we pride ourselves in providing a great customer experience and today we found out that we failed one of or customers. Upon learning of this mistake, I personally contacted Kym to apologize and let her know that we would immediately take every measure to resolve this to her complete satisfaction. While we regret the circumstances, we appreciate her willingness to allow us to make it right."

-George Spowart
Chief Marketing Officer
PODS Enterprises, Inc.

Calloway says she's ready to end the nightmare of April 3 tornado once and for all, looking forward to sitting on new furniture in her newly rebuilt home some time next month.

"We are so ready to come home, there's nothing like home," said Calloway.